Meet the Dolls' Guardian | The Dolls Are Alright

Welcome to The Dolls Are Alright
~ Living ~ Laughing ~ Learning with imagination and an open heart

Hi, my name is Patricia Antolino. I am the voice behind Patti, Tricia and Petie (three kid-sized dolls) who make up The Dolls Are Alright. They actually do the blogging and talk about everything from friendship to fashion to baseball to spirituality. It’s for the young and the young-at-heart (and even those who describe themselves as quirky) to inspire us all to life life with imagination and an open heart as Patti, Tricia and Petie share life’s day-to-day adventures, wisdom, wonder and every the funny stuff that keeps us all going.

I hope you will let your imagination take you on a mini-vacation. Imagination keeps our brain, our soul, our sense of wonder and delight alive. Isn’t it time to become familiar with that imaginative side of you where dolls have tea and opinions ~ where nothing is impossible and life is joy-filled?

About Me:

I just turned 60 and am delighted! Yes, I do believe aging is a blast. It isn’t until I look in the mirror that I actually remember I’m old now. My spirit is still young and vibrant.
I was born in the Bronx into a large and loud Italian Catholic family. Though I left the Bronx more than 30 years ago, my accent is still firmly in place.
Back in the 1970s, I helped open one of the first women’s centers and a rape crisis center and was the President of the Tampa Chapter of the National Organization for Women. In the 1990s, I began an organization for survivors of childhood abuse.
I am still a proud member of hippiedom and a feminist, believing strongly in peace and love.
I ventured out to California in my early 30s to join a spiritual community where we believed it was “the only way.”
I’ve since studied Judaism, the Qur’an, shamanism, Native American beliefs, different Christian beliefs, wicca, Buddhism and assorted Earth-based religions, coming to the conclusion that they are all the way as the bottom line in any spiritual teaching is love.
SilverStar, my first kitty, taught me boundaries, and I am forever in her debt.

My Life These Days:

I work a full-time job as a legal secretary though my heart is more connected with the esoteric. I am a certified massage therapist, a Reiki master, a trained mediator, have a degree as a para-professional counselor, studied the Tarot, astrology, clairvoyance and other alternative healing modalities too numerous to keep listing
My life is full, adventurous and would make a great movie-of-the-week.
I currently live in Berkeley, California (which, for someone quirky, is the best place to live!) with my life-partner David who actually finds it endearing that I still play with dolls. I hope to be an inspiration to many: it doesn’t matter who you are or how old or young you are, it’s okay to be silly, have fun and enjoy life.

Me and My Dolls:

My affinity for Patti PlayPal began in the Bronx. It was Christmas Eve, and I was eight years old. As I walked into my room to go to sleep, there in my bed was Patti PlayPal. I was thrilled. I don’t remember any other gifts that Christmas or any other Christmas for that matter. Patti has always had a very special place in my heart. Eleven years later, I left home, and I don’t know what happened to the original Patti I received that Christmas.
A dear friend was visiting me about twenty years ago when I was going through a particularly difficult time. One day, we went to a doll show and there was a Patti PlayPal. I adopted her, and she’s been with me ever since.
Since Patti is an original and was created in 1959 by the Ideal Toy Company, she is a bit fragile now. Since I have a deep passion to make people laugh and smile, I did not want to stop writing. So, I began my search and soon found and adopted Tricia and, in my search, discovered a “brother,” Peter PlayPal, which just seemed perfect to have a boy as well. Tricia and Peter were created in 1981 by Ashton Drake.

My Blog:

By writing this blog, my hope is to inspire us all to live life with imagination and an open heart.
I think I’ve always wanted that for the people in my life ~ to have their heart open to joy!
Making people smile and laugh has always been easy for me. I think that’s because my personality has been quirky from the get-go. When people ask me if I had lots of imaginary friends when I was little, I immediately say, “Yes, and I still do.” I never thought that odd, especially since Shari Lewis was such a favorite of mine. There was nothing more touching than Ms. Lewis and Lamb Chop.
A few years ago, I thought it would be fun to do storyboards, dressing Patti in different outfits (she’s a 2T) and making up stories. My friends found the stories quite humorous and encouraged me to create a blog.

Thank you for reading The Dolls Are Alright. I hope you’ll come back again and again. I would love to hear your comments, so please feel welcome to offer them and share your ideas on where the dolls should visit next or even which outfit you like best. You can email us at thedollsarealright (at) gmail (dot) com. You can also become a fan of The Dolls are Alright on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @dollsarealright. We’d also love it if you’d let your friends, relatives, co-workers, even the mail-carrier know about The Dolls Are Alright.

Sweet Blessings!
Patricia (Patti, Tricia and Petie, too)